Circuit breaker with automatic ice removal means on contact bar

ABSTRACT

Ice-breaking device for electrical separation devices comprising a support for a mobile contact provided with contact fingers affecting a contact bar, characterised in that the bar comprises, at its periphery, studs provided with means for driving the said studs round the bar when manipulating the device.

United States Patent [191 Dayet et al.

[ 1 Oct. 15,1974

CIRCUIT BREAKER WITI-I AUTOMATIC ICE REMOVAL MEANS ON CONTACT BARlnventors: Jacques Dayet, Lyon; Pierre Bastide, Villeurbanne; MarcelBesson, Lyon, all of France Assignee: Delle-Alsthom, Villeurbanne,France Filed: Oct. 23, 1973 Appl. No.: 408,908

Foreign Application Priority Data Oct. 20, 1972 France 72.37319 us. Clgggggn q /o g. 17 int. Cl ..H01h 9/00,l-l01h 1/60 Field of Search 200/52R, 61.16, 61.2,

ZOO/61.39, 61.41; 62/320; 24l/DIG. 17; 244/134 R, 134 D; 340/234;30/1645, 164.8

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,171,450 8/1939 Langley .t200/52 R 2,280,400 4/1942 Green 200/52 R 2,549,215 4/1951 Mansted24l/DlG. l7 UX Primary Examiner.lames R. Scott Attorney, Agent, orFirmSughrue, Rothwell, Mion, Zinn & Macpeak ABSTRACT Ice-breaking devicefor electrical separation devices comprising a support for a mobilecontact provided with contact fingers'affecting a contact bar,characterised in that the bar comprises, at its periphery, studsprovided with means for driving the said studs round the bar whenmanipulating the device.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTED 1 51974 3.842.221

SHEET 2 [IF 2 CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH AUTOMATIC ICE REMOVAL MEANS ONCONTACT BAR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention Theinvention relates to electrical devices whose contacts are subjected toweather conditions.

2. Description of the Prior Art In this type of device certaindisconnectors or separation devices, such as those comprised by outsideequipment of the unpluggable type, may be quoted as examples.

These devices comprise, generally, in co-operation, a fixed contact inthe form of a bar and a mobile contact in the form of fingers, suitablyinsulated from the ground and connected by connection straps to a lineor to another device. During very cold periods, when these devices areplaced on the outside in contact with the damp air, it happens thattheir contact surfaces and more particularly the bar become coated witha layer of ice, making the operation of the contacts difficult, moreparticularly on their closing.

To overcome this, it has been contrived to superimpose over the linearmovement of the mobile contact in relation to the bar, a rotationmovement about the latter. That arrangement, which has, for its object,the causing of a certain disintegration of the ice which may form on themobile contact and on the bar, proves, IIOWCVCl'ytO be operative onlywhen the layer of ice covering the bar remains slight.

The invention has for its aim a device intended to break'the ice coatingwhich. in the previous hypothetical case was accumulated on the bar,even before the contact fingers of the mobile came to bear againstit toi ensuring the passing of the current.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention has for its object anice-breaking device for a separation device of an electrical equipmentcomprising a support for a mobile contact provided with fingersaffecting a contact bar, characterised in that there exist, on theperiphery of the bar, studs provided with means for driving the saidstuds about the bar when manipulating the device.

According to another characteristic, the studs are arranged on thelateral face, facing the mobile contact fingers of a wheel whose barconstitutes the axis.

According to another characteristic, the wheel is driven by a stop fixedto the mobile contact fingers affecting a tooth arranged at theperiphery of the wheel.

The characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the description given herebelow referring to an embodiment given byway of an example and illustrated in the figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic top view of adevice according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view about line 2-2 of FIG. 1 with the wheel 8 inFIG. I removed.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the circuit breaker assembly in a closedposition immediately after the disintegration of the ice.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the figures, l designates afixed contact assembly comprising a cylindrical contact bar 2 supportedby the arms of a clevis 3 subjected to a holding device 4. Two idlewheels 7 and 8, kept away from the arms of the clevis by spacers 9 and.10 have been installed on the ends of the bar 4.

A mobile contact support assembly provided with contact fingers 6 and astop bar 12 in the open position has been shown by a thick line at 5 andthe same elements have been shown in the closed position on the contactbar 2 by dotted lines at 5', 6' and 12'.

The wheels 7 and 8 are ratchet wheels, provided, on the one hand, ontheir periphery with teeth such as 13 and 14 and, ,on the other hand, ontheir lateral face, facing the mobile contact fingers 6 and on thesurface of the bar 2, with studs such as 11.

The operation of the device is as follows. On the closing movement ofthe mobile contact support 5, shown by the arrow F, at the end of thetravel and before the coming into contact of the fingers 6 with the bar2, the stop bar 12 meshes with one tooth of each of the wheels 7 and 8,this causing their rotation about the fixed bar 2. The studs 11, fixedon the wheels and sunk in the ice coating 15 which has formed round thebar 2, rotate with the wheels 7 and 8, this causing the disintegrationof the ice adhering to the bar. The bar is thus rid of the greater partof the ice and the fingers 6 can come into contact with the bar; theirrotating movement about the bar, by means of a known rotating devicewhich is not shown, completes the removal of the ice from the bar.

On opening, the direction of movement of the mobile contact is theopposite to that of the arrow F. The reverse rotation movement of thecontact fingers 6 causes the disintegration of the ice adhering to thebar 2 into particles 16.

In the case of FIGS. I and 2, the ratchet wheels 7 and 8 are providedwith teeth all round the periphery of their circumference. Whatever theoriginal position of the teeth of the wheels 7 and 8 may be on the bar 2forming a fixed contact, the dimensioning of the teeth of the wheels 7and 8 is such that the stop bar 12 always meshes with a tooth, onclosing.

In a variant of embodiment of the invention (not shown), the wheels 7and 8 may comprise only a single tooth; but in the case, a timing andreturn device provided, for example, by a spring or a counterweight,hold the tooth, when in the open position, in such a position that, onclosing, the stop 12 automatically comes into contact with the singletooth of the wheels 7 and It is evident that the invention is in no waylimited to the embodiment which has been described and has been givenonly by way of an example; more particularly, without going beyond thescope of the invention, certain arrangements may be modified or certainmeans may be replaced by equivalent means.

We claim:

1. In an ice-breaking device for an electrical equipment separationdevice including; a mobile contact supported for movement and providedwith fingers engageable with a fixed contact bar, the improvementcomprising studs provided on the periphery of the bar, and means fordriving, said studs in rotation about the 3. The ice-breaking deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein: the wheel is driven by a stop fixed tothe mobile contact support, and at least one tooth is arranged on theperiphery of the wheel in the path of movement ofsaid stop.

1. In an ice-breaking device for an electrical equipment separationdevice including; a mobile contact supported for movement and providedwith fingers engageable with a fixed contact bar, the improvementcomprising studs provided on the periphery of the bar, and means fordriving, said studs in rotation about the bar axis in response tomovement of said mobile contact.
 2. The ice-breaking device according toclaim 1, wherein: the studs are arranged on a lateral face, of a wheelrotatably carried by said bar which constitutes the axis of rotation ofsaid wheel.
 3. The ice-breaking device according to claim 1, wherein:the wheel is driven by a stop fixed to the mobile contact support, andat least one tooth is arranged on the periphery of the wheel in the pathof movement of said stop.